Reversed Roles
by Crow Skywalker
Summary: Roles are switched, and Inuyasha releases the hanyou Kagome, who’s been sealed to a tree for 50 years. With Shikon no Tama broken, they’re forced to work together to find the shards before evil does. [WIP]
1. Life at the Shrine

Reversed Roles

Chapter One – Life At The Shrine

September 25/2006

By Crow Skywalker

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Disclaimer – I don't own Inuyasha or the characters in this fanfic, nor do I claim to. I am in no way making money off of this, just bowing the characters and the plot to entertain myself for a while.

Author's Notes – It's been a couple of um..years..since I last updated this fic. I thought I'd start with a re-write to the first chapter, and there will hopefully be more to follow afterwards. Not much has been changed, but you might as well re-read it just the same. Sorry about being so crappy with the whole updating this…but I do work 40+ hours a week, and I don't spend as much time on the computer as I used to.

Other Things – This will be Inuyasha/Kagome in the future. There will be Kagome/Sesshomaru references as well. Also, probably some Sango/Miroku thrown in there in future chapters.

Summary - Roles are switched, and Inuyasha releases the hanyou Kagome, who's been sealed to a tree for 50 years. When the Shikon no Tama is broken, they're forced to work together to find the shards before evil does.

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It was night, and a full moon hung low in the star filled sky. The summer's warmth was almost unbearable, even in the late hour, and the smell of burning buildings could be smelt for miles in the air.

She ran, her ears tuned into her surroundings and her eyes darting everywhere as she let her senses guide her. Trees whipped at her face as she dodged through the forest, making scratches across her face. The smell of blood was almost as strong as the smell of the fire she'd just left behind.

Her heart thudding heavily in her chest, she was started as a lone crow cawed in the night, taking off somewhere to her right and flying off into the darkness of the night. In her fright, she stopped, one hand raised in front of her, her claws ready and her eyes narrowed. Realizing that the crow was no threat to her, she took off once more, one thought running through her mind: _he's coming!_

She took a sharp left, hoping to lose him in the dense forest, but knowing deep down that he would still be able to track her. Taking in a deep breath through her highly sensitive nose, she deciphered each scent around her until she could smell him, and only him.

_Damn it!_ She growled to herself, _He's still following me!_

"I'm not giving up!" She called into the darkness, jumping over a fallen log that was in her path. She didn't stop for a not one second, continuing to run, her right hand clenching the object in her hand tightly.

_I have what I've always wanted._ She rolled the object between her fingers, keeping it secure at all times. She could hardly believe she finally had it, after all this time. She stopped rolling it, clenching her fist around it tightly once more. _If only _he _hadn't gotten in my way in the first place!_

In the darkness, her eyes glowed red with rage as she thought about him; though they also showed something else that nobody could see: hurt and betrayal.

_Stupid, stupid me for ever trusting that filthy human!_ She dodged another log, landing hard on her feet on the other side of it. _Using the Shikon no Tama to turn human?_ She screwed up her nose and made a disgusted face. _Ha! Like I'd ever go through with it and do such a thing!_

Bursting through the foliage, she hesitated as she found herself in a clearing. A large tree stood in the middle of it, its roots gnarled so that it looked like a monster in the night. Her hesitation was only for a moment and she started to run once again, but someone shouting her name caught her off guard. She turned.

He was standing behind her, his white hair blowing in the warm breeze and his clothes drenched in blood. He held his sword in one hand, and his eyes were narrowed at her, his face emotionless, as always.

"Kagome," he said quietly, and if it weren't for her superior hearing she was sure she would have never heard it. She watched as he shifted his sword and in one swift motion, it was flying at her. She had no time to move and she watched in horror as it went through her chest, causing her to fly backwards. It embedded itself into the big tree, pinning her to it. With wide eyes she stared down at the sword, which was glowing in the darkness. Slowly, blood began to drip to the ground below her.

"Die." The man stated in that same quiet voice, and Kagome looked up at him in time to see him fall to his knees, his hand clenching his injured shoulder. Suddenly, the sword within her glowed brighter, and pain laced through her body.

"Sesshomaru.." She gritted her teeth, the object in her hand falling to the ground beneath her as she tried to reach for the hilt of the sword. However, it burned her flesh as she tried to touch it, and in her frustration she yelled, "You bastard!"

From where he kneeled on the ground, the man named Sesshomaru watched as the woman that he had once thought he had loved slowly died, sealed to the tree for eternity.

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"And it's a beautiful day out today!" A voice announced, "The air's warm, the flowers are in full bloom, the birds are singing, and it's going to be a high of-" The voice was suddenly cut off when a boy angrily reached for the television remote on the table next to him and switched it off. With an angry scowl he slumped back down on the couch, staring at the now black screen of the television.

"Why don't you go outside for a while, Inuyasha?" His mother asked from the kitchen where she was busy washing dishes left over from dinner. She'd been cleaning the house all day, and was beginning to get annoyed at her son for being in the way of her cleaning. "You've been sitting on that couch since you got up this morning!"

"There's nothing to do," was his answer as he looked at her over the back of the couch. He watched as his mother wiped the sweat from her forehead before she turned to him, giving him a look.

"Why don't you take your sister to the park?" She suggested. "I'm sure Rin would really like that."

Inuyasha frowned, slumping down further on the couch as he crossed his arms. "Keh! I have much better things to do."

His mother frowned at the top of his head. "But you were just saying that you had nothing to do.."

Getting up from the couch with a sigh, Inuyasha brushed his messy black hair over his shoulder as he replied, "I'll find something."

He made his way to the fridge and, bending low, opened the door to check to see if anything new had magically appeared there since the last time he checked. No luck. With a scowl, he closed the door and went to get himself a glass of water.

Izayoi watched him, a frown suddenly appearing across her young face as she realized something. "Where is Rin, anyway? I haven't seen her in quite a few hours. I hope she isn't out getting into trouble."

Inuyasha shook his head, setting the empty glass in the dish filled sink. "Probably out listening to Myoga tell stupid stories again," he said with a roll of his eyes.

"Inuyasha," Izayoi said with a scolding tone. "Why must you call your grandfather by name? Why can't you be more like Rin and call him grandpa?" She picked up Inuyasha's glass, quickly giving it a wash and a rinse down before setting it with the other clean dishes to dry. "I know he hasn't always been around much…"

Inuyasha interrupted her before she could say anymore. "Because I'm seventeen, mom, and Rin doesn't realize how embarrassing the guy is. He's always telling stories that aren't true, and Rin believes every word. And then, when it comes time to do chores, he runs off with Rin so I'm left to do them all." He sighed. "Rin can sit there for hours listening to his stories, so he gets out of doing anything you ask him to do. Meanwhile, I get stuck with all the work. He's lazy, and he's a coward."

Inuyasha's mother looked thoughtful for a second. "That reminds me, I asked him to sweep the steps this morning. They've been starting to get quite a bit dusty, and there are weeds growing in between the stones." She looked out the window as she pulled the sink plug. "Looks like he didn't do as I asked. Inuyasha-" She turned to face him only to find him already standing in the doorway, broom in hand and a scowl on his face. With an apologetic smile she asked, "Sweep the steps for me, please?"

"See what I mean?" He growled under his breath as he left the kitchen to find his shoes. He found his shoes by the front door and, while he put them on, he mentally cursed on his old grandfather. _Stupid Myoga…always running off when there's work to be done!_

The news had been right – it was a beautiful and sunny day outside. The air was fresh and warm, and a slight breeze rustled the leaves on the nearby trees. However, Inuyasha noticed none of this as he stepped outside, his teeth clenched tightly as he made his way across the yard and down the Shrine's steps, broom still in hand. Starting at the bottom, he swept each and every step, making his way up with his anger growing with each dirty step.

This was how his family worked, with him always doing all of the hard work. His grandfather was the one who owned the old Shrine, and when Inuyasha's father had passed away a few years earlier, Inuyasha and his mother and his little sister had been forced to move in with the old man. His mother was a frail woman who couldn't support two children on her own, and with the death of her husband, she couldn't stand to be alone. She had moved in with Myoga despite Inuyasha's protests. Life had been nothing but an annoyance since then.

Having finished the steps, he walked back towards the house, glad to be finally done. He almost groaned out loud as his mother poked her head out the window upon seeing him and, with a cherry voice, called, "And don't forget to sweep that dirty well house!"

With a sigh he lowered his head and turned towards the side of the house where a shed-like building stood. He didn't quite understand why the old building was there, because there was nothing in it but an old dried up well. Myoga had once tried to warn him about demons and ogres and the like, but Inuyasha never listened to anything the old man had to say. It was only an old dusty well that was probably starting to fall apart – so why the hell did he have to sweep it? It wasn't like anyone had gone in there in years, anyway.

Opening the old door to the well house - which creaked loudly and Inuyasha thought it might fall off its hinges – he was suddenly proved wrong as he saw a familiar figure standing in the darkness, leaning over the edge of the well and trying to see into its dark depths.

"Rin," he growled, and the young girl was started enough to almost fall in. He watched as she scrambled backwards, her hands going behind her back as she looked at him almost innocently. "What did mom say about coming in here? This place is off limits!"

Ignoring everything he'd just said, Rin looked at the well from the corner of her eye and asked, "Is the well really haunted, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha almost laughed in reply. _The old fool has been telling her ghost stories again, I see,_ he mused. Setting the broom against the doorframe, he moved into the darkness of the well house to stand next to his little sister. With an amused snort he said, "There's no such thing as ghosts, Rin."

"Vampires?" She asked next, and he shook his head. "How about werewolves?"

"It's all myths and legends. None of that stuff is real," Inuyasha answered, crossing his arms in front of him.

"What about demons?" She asked.

Inuyasha frowned at her. "Didn't I just say-"

"Not real, I know," she finished for him with a roll of her eyes.

Inuyasha couldn't help it. He reached down and ruffled her dark hair and she giggled, squirming to get away from him.

When he finally stopped, she pouted, "Inuyasha! You messed up my hair!"

"Hey," he smiled down at her, "I'm your big brother…it's my job to annoy you and mess up your hair!"

Rin stuck out her tongue in reply.

"So that's why you're here, huh?" He moved away from her to peer down the well, seeing nothing but the darkness. "Looking for fairytale creatures in the old well house?"

"Inuyasha!" Rin suddenly gasped. She was instantly at his side and pulling at his sleeve. "Don't get too close!"

"And why not?" He asked her, turning towards his younger sister and grabbing hold of her and tickling her. She laughed, pulling at his hair in defense as she tried to get away from him. He didn't let go, and she was almost in tears from laughing so much.

"Stop!" She managed to gasp out in between breaths. "You can't get too close because Grandpa told me that if you get too close, a demon will come up and eat you!"

Inuyasha stopped tickling her, frowning down at her before looking back at the well_. He's been feeding her more of those stories again, and now she's afraid of that damn old well!_

"There's nothing down in the well, Rin," he told her softly, taking one of her small hands in his and leading her closer to the well. "Just watch and I'll prove it to you!" He let go of her hands and swung one leg over the side of the well before swinging his other leg over so that he was fully sitting on the old wood of the well, his legs dangling into the darkness.

"Inuyasha!" Rin gasped, stepping forward, her eyes wide. "What're you doing?"

He turned his head to give her an arrogant smile. "Proving to you once and for all that there are no monsters, and Myoga's dumb stories are fake." That said, he let go of the edge and fell into the darkness of the well.

He landed with a 'thump', his knees bent so that he could manage to land on both feet without hurting himself too much. Above him, Rin was screaming his name in worry, trying to see him through the darkness.

"Inuyasha! Inuyasha? Are you okay?" She called down to him.

"I'm fine!" He yelled in reply, looking up with her with a proud smirk that he knew she couldn't see, "And there's nothing down here but dirt!"

She was silent for a moment before she asked in a small voice, "Are you sure?"

"Yes," He sighed in irritation, "Now go get me a ladder…I don't think I can get out of here by myself!" He yelled back, suddenly realizing how stupid it had been of him to jump down an old well that he should have known he couldn't get out of. But that was just the way he was – act first, think about it later. With a sigh he sat down, his legs crossed, and waited for Rin to return with a ladder. _Well, at least she has that crazy idea of monsters being down here out of her head!_

The sound of something heavy being dragged across old floorboard and dirt alerted to him that Rin had returned with the ladder. By the sounds of it she was having difficulties, which wasn't surprising.

"Oi! Hurry up!" He yelled as he crossed his arms. "It's cold down here!"

"Hold on!" Her voice came from somewhere up above. "This thing is heavy!"

Inuyasha sighed with impatience, closing his eyes as he waited for Rin to rescue him. Unnoticed to him, the floor beneath him started to light up and glow, and long boney fingers reached up out of the floor. As an eerie feeling settled in the pit of his stomach, Inuyasha frowned, his eyes still closed.

"Rin?" He called, wondering why there were no more sounds coming from above him.

"I-Inuyasha?" A voice answered after a moment of silence. She sounded frightened, and Inuyasha's eyes snapped open to look up at her. She was staring back at him, a horrified expression upon her face. He was about to ask her what her problem was when she screamed, "Behind you!"

He turned his head, finally noticing that the floor below him was glowing bright with color, and a now fully emerged demon-like creature was standing behind him, her huge body curling around her as she reached towards him with a slow hiss.

"What the fuck-" Was all he could manage before cold boney fingers wrapped around his body and pulled him down through the glowing floor.

From above, Rin watched in terror, and she didn't snap out of it until the glowing floor faded and left nothing but the darkness. Suddenly panic hit her as she realized Inuyasha was gone, and he had been wrong the whole time – there _were_ monsters in the well house!

"Grandpa!" She suddenly screamed, running from the well house and almost tripping over the ladder she had long since abandoned on the floor. "Grandpa! You were right! There really are demons in the well!"

To Be Continued…


	2. Through the Well

Reversed Roles

Chapter Two – Through The Well

September 27/2006

By Crow Skywalker

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Disclaimer – I don't own Inuyasha or the characters in this fanfic, nor do I claim to. I am in no way making money off of this, just bowing the characters and the plot to entertain myself for a while.

Author's Notes – The beginning of this chapter was totally re-written, but I was pretty satisfied with what I'd written for the remaining of the chapter after Inuyasha crawled out of the well. Spelling mistakes and a few other things were corrected, and a few things changed – like the color of Inuyasha's hair. I realized I couldn't keep it black if I wanted him to "look like Sesshomaru", who had white hair because he just wouldn't be Sesshomaru without it. Inuyasha's hair will change back and forth as he travels through time.

Other Things – This will be Inuyasha/Kagome in the future. There will be Kagome/Sesshomaru references as well. Also, probably some Sango/Miroku thrown in there in future chapters.

Summary - Roles are switched, and Inuyasha releases the hanyou Kagome, who's been sealed to a tree for 50 years. When the Shikon no Tama is broken, they're forced to work together to find the shards before evil does.

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His body felt light, like he was floating in mid air or like he was suspended in water. There were no noises, nothing strange to his sense of touch or smell. However, when he let a small groan escape from his lips and his eyes opened, he was greeted with a strange sight. The air around him, and as far as he could see, was a strange glow of blue, greens, and purples. The air seemed to sparkle and, as he absent mindedly moving his legs, Inuyasha suddenly realized he wasn't touching ground.

_Where am I?_ He wondered, squinting his eyes to get a better look at his surroundings. _What is this place?_ He searched his head, trying to remember how he had ended up in such an odd place. _I was in the well,_ he realized after a moment. He raised his hands to his temples, massaging them in hopes of clearing his fuzzy memory. _I was attacked…attacked by some monster!_

Suddenly remembering the monster, Inuyasha's head snapped up as his arms fell to his sides and his head whipped in all directions as he tried to catch sight of the beast. He hadn't noticed it before then, but having searched for it, he found it not too far away, its body suspended in the glowing air. It was huge, with the head and upper body of a hideous woman and lower body of rotting bones and flesh that looked almost centipede like.

Eyes widening, Inuyasha frantically pawed at the air as he tried to put some distance between himself and the monster. It seemed to work, though not very well. Once he was out of breath he stopped, glaring at the creature as he let his sore arms rest at his sides. _What the fuck is that?_ He wondered, trying to make some sense out of what was happening to him. _There's no such thing as monsters or demons!_

The demon, which seemed to somehow sense his thoughts towards it, suddenly moved. It's upper body swung upwards so that it was upright, its boney bug like body curling around it as its eyes opened, narrowing as it found Inuyasha staring at it. Inuyasha flinched as the demon's mouth opened, fangs glinting in the colorful air. "The Shikon no Tama…"

Inuyasha blinked, confused. "What?"

"Give me the Shikon no Tama!" It hissed again, eyes momentarily burning red before the demon 's body uncurled and moved forward.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Inuyasha yelled, struggling to move as he saw the demon coming closer. _The Shikon no Tama?_ _What the hell is that?_ He wondered, desperately trying to get away from the ugly beast that was trying to get to him_. I don't have a fucking clue what it's talking about! _

He was stopped from his escape as the demon's boney centipede body shot forward, winding around him tightly and pulling him to the demon, which waited with an open mouth of fangs. Wincing, Inuyasha struggled against it, feeling the bones digging into his body. It was so close that if he reached out he could touch it. He could feel the demon's rotting breath on his face and he almost gagged as it grinned down at him, slit eyes gleaming.

"I can sense it," it hissed into his face, its nostrils flaring, "I can smell it! Give it to me!"

Inuyasha fought against it, arms shoving at bone and skin. "I don't have it! Let go!"

"You have it!" It insisted.

Inuyasha growled, somehow managing to free his arms from the demon's hold. They had been pinned to his sides due to the demon's body wrapped around him, and now they were finally free from where they had been trapped moments before. Seeing this, the demon took its chance and lunged in for an attack, mouth open and fangs enlarged so that its hideous face was almost deformed.

"I said let go!" Inuyasha snarled, raising a fist to hit the demon with whatever strength he could call forth. His fist smashed into the demon's face and Inuyasha could swear he heard the sound of something crack. However, there was a sudden burst of pink light and all went dark after that.

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He found himself lying face down on his stomach when he first came to. He could taste dirt in his mouth, and he imagined he was probably covered in the stuff as well. Above him he felt a cool breeze find its way into the well, further awakening him. He moved his head slightly but decided to stop once he felt pain lace up through his body and he found himself clenching his eyes tighter than he already had been.

Waiting for the pain to go away, he attempted once again to get up a few minutes later, a groan emitting from his lips as he moved his arms and clawed at the dirt ground, finally managing to roll over onto his back before opening his eyes.

_What happened?_ He thought groggily, feeling like he had been hit by a train. He stared up the tunnel of bricks and at the clear blue sky overhead. _Was it all a dream? Did I somehow hit my head when I fell?_ Deciding that must have been what had happened, he suddenly remembered his little sister. She must have been really worried about him by now.

"Rin?" He called, his voice shaking. Coughing to clear his throat, he called again. "Rin? Are you up there?" When no answer came, he pulled himself up into a sitting position, cracking his back in the process in hopes of making the movement easier.

_Oh my head!_ He winced, reaching up with one hand while his other helped him sit upright. He touched his head, wondering just how hard he'd hit it. It felt like not only had he been hit by a train, but he'd been trampled by a heard of elephants as well. His headache was almost too much to handle, and he felt pain all over.

When his head finally stopped spinning and he felt like he could move, Inuyasha finally crawled to his knees and used the stone wall to help him to his feet. He held on even once he was standing, afraid that his body might fail him and he'd end up back on the ground at any minute.

"Rin?" He called again. "Rin? Where are you?" There was still no answer, but he didn't care. "I must have hit my head and passed out! I have the strangest dream.." He took a step away from the wall only to stumble and grab hold of the strange plant life that was growing down in the well for support.

"What's this?" He wondered out loud, pulling a leaf off the plant and bringing it close to his face to inspect it. "This wasn't here before…" Looking up once again at the blue sky above him, he finally realized something was wrong_. I shouldn't be able to see the sky…where's the roof to the well house?_

Really confused now, Inuyasha decided the best thing to do was to get out of the well first and figure things out from there. There were a lot of questions he needed answered, none that could be answered while he was stuck down in a dusty old well. Grabbing hold of some of the vine like plants growing down into the well, he used them to help himself up, digging his shoes into the stones as he went.

Finally reaching the top, he grabbed hold of the edge of the well and hauled himself up, bringing one leg over the side and hauling himself up into a sitting position so that one leg was out of the well and the other was still dangling within. Now with a better view of his surroundings, Inuyasha looked around in confusion.

He was in a clearing filled with healthy flourishing green grass, which was currently rustling in the cool, fresh breeze that was making its way through the clearing. Large trees surrounded the clearing, going on for as far as the eye cold see, and he could see no sign of buildings. Not even his own house, which had seemed to have disappeared since he had fallen into the well.

"Where am I?" He asked quietly, not expecting an answer. He received none, except for the sound of birds and animals within the surrounding forest. Pulling his other leg out of the well so that both feet were planted firmly on the ground, Inuyasha growled in anger. He'd had so many questions, and now it seemed he had even more – and there was no one to answer them!

"I'll just have to figure this out on my own," he told himself.

Standing on his own two legs and dusting himself off, he headed off in a random direction in hopes of finding some answers.

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"I'm going around in circles!" He growled to himself, leaning against a side of a tree tiredly. He'd been wandering around the forest for what seemed like hours now, and so far he was just as lost as he had been to begin with, and with just as much confusion as he'd had when he'd first started off on his own.

Slumping down against the tree, he leaned his head back to look at the sky. "Maybe I'm still dreaming…or I'm not dreaming at all, and that demon killed me. And what was that light?" He frowned. No, that was stupid. There was no such thing as demons, and he hadn't fell through a wall to this…this place! He was still at home, unconscious on the well floor – he was sure of it! None of this was real!

Looking back down from the sky, he listened to the sounds of the forest. Through the rustling of the leaves above, he could hear little animal life. No sound of birds, nothing. Which was strange because he'd heard plenty of animal life when he'd first left the clearing. He tried not to dwell on it too much. It was his dream, after all. None of this was real. But the forest _was_ eerie, and he suddenly wanted to get out of there fast.

Standing, he tried to decide which way he was going to travel next, when something caught his eye. Through the tops of the trees, not too far away, was a familiar sight. Eyes wide, he stumbled forth, trying to decide if it was real or just his imagination playing tricks on him. But as he finally made it to the small clearing, he realized it wasn't his imagination, it was real.

It was the tree that stood near the shrine at home, although it looked slightly different. He was so used to seeing it, he could tell it from anywhere…and this was the tree! Half expecting to see the shrine, he looked around but found nothing. His shoulders slumped, all hope lost. Well, at least he had found something familiar in this strange place.

With a sigh, Inuyasha looked back to the tree. It really was different – younger looking, and wrapped in vines of some sort. Walking a bit closer, he realized something else and almost blinked in surprise. He narrowed his eyes, telling himself that he was seeing things, but it turned out his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. Just off the ground, tangled in vines and plant growth, was a girl.

Walking closer to the tree, he peered up to get a better look at her. She was dressed in funny clothes – a long sleeved white shirt, and red pants that looked way too big for her, and Inuyasha realized it was normal garb for priestesses in the past. Her eyes were closed as if she was dead or asleep, but her face was pretty and her skin was smooth and pale. Her beautiful long black hair was blowing slightly in the breeze. Inuyasha was looking at her hair when something caught his eye. At the top of her head were two black triangle shapes, and Inuyasha stared for a moment before he realized they were ears.

_That's impossible…people don't have ears like that!_ Crawling up over a root of the tree, he stood face to face with her and hesitantly reached out to touch the objects on her head. They were soft and warm and Inuyasha decided they were real, and that the girl really _did_ have cat ears of some sort.

_But how's that possible? She looks human enough…_ He let go of the ears, studying the girl's face. He reached a hand out, cupping her cheek. Her face was warm as well and much alive – although it seemed like she wasn't breathing. _Is she dead?_ He wondered, pulling his hand away fast, not wanting to be touching a dead person. _But she sure does _feel _alive…_

He finally noticed the sword that pinned her there, and he backed away fast, almost falling off the tree root. Looking at the sword, and then at her face, he decided she really _was_ dead, even though she just looked like she was asleep. No one could survive such a wound – she was definitely dead.

_What a shame,_ he frowned, looking at her face once more. _She's so pretty, despite having cat ears._ He had another urge to reach out and touch the ears again and mentally scolded himself. _You shouldn't be touching her! She's dead!_ He blushed lightly. _I shouldn't be touching her at all! Even if she was alive!_ He glanced down at her hands, which supported long cat-like claws. _She'd tear me to shreds!_

_But still…she's dead…she won't mind,_ he told himself, reaching forward once again, looking fascinated with her ears. He lightly touched the right one, feeling the soft fur beneath his fingers. His eyes widened as he felt it twitch under his touch, and he was about to pull away when there was a voice from behind him.

"You there!"

He let go, spinning around on the tree root and, losing his footing, he fell to the ground below. Groaning and spitting grass out of his mouth, he glared up at the man that had made him fall. "Didn't anyone ever tell you not to scare the shit out of people?" He spit another blade of grass out of his mouth, "It's not nice."

He suddenly realized that there were more than one of them, and they were all carrying bows, their arrows aimed on him. Raising himself to his knees, he put his hands in the air, wondering what was happening. "Er- don't shoot?"

The lead man shifted his bow, but didn't lower it. "What are you doing in Kagome's Forest?" He asked.

"I was…I…I don't know." He told them truthfully.

"You don't know?" The man spat back sarcastically, aiming his bow and arrow.

"Hey," Another man stepped forward, and Inuyasha's gaze flickered to him, "Don't he look kind of like Sesshomaru? His white hair looks exactly the same!"

Inuyasha blinked, wondering what the man was talking about. He was about to open his mouth and tell him that his hair was black, and not white, when the fact that his hair really _was_ white caught his attention. Startled, and slightly panicked, Inuyasha grabbed at his hair by the fistful and inspected it fully. The man hadn't been lying – Inuyasha's hair was white – when did that happen? Sure, he'd been in too much of a stupor the last few hours to worry about anything other than the fact that he'd fallen in a well and somehow ended up in an entirely different place, but…

The first man bit his lip, his bow lowered as he studied Inuyasha. "Same hair, and the same eye color…though the face isn't exactly the same," he muttered to his comrades. "You could almost pass for his twin," the man narrowed his eyes, "How is that possible? Tell me your name!"

Inuyasha hesitated, still wondering how he'd gone from having black hair to full blown white hair, but answered the man's question none the less. "My name's Inuyasha," he stated, unsure if he should really be telling these strangers anything about himself.

"Inuyasha." The man seemed to think it over, "You look the splitting image of our village's deceased priest, Sesshomaru."

_Is that good or bad?_ Inuyasha wondered. "So does this mean you're not going to kill me now?"

The man seemed to ignore him, turning to the other villagers. "We should take him to the village elder. He'll be able to make sense of this."

Inuyasha was about to open his mouth to tell them he wasn't going anywhere with them, especially not to see some village elder, when the lead man took him by the collar of his shirt and lifted him up.

"Come," He said simply, and Inuyasha growled at his back as the villagers started to leave. Though, looking back at the girl pinned to the tree, he suddenly didn't want to be alone in the forest anymore. This was his best chance at getting some of his questions answered.

"Keh." He kicked the ground beneath his feet before following after them. Perhaps the elder would be able to help him.

To Be Continued…


	3. The Village Elder

Reversed Roles

Chapter Three – The Village Elder

By Crow Skywalker

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Disclaimer – I don't own Inuyasha, nor do I claim to. He belongs to the original creators, and I'm not getting paid anything from writing this fanfic.

Author's Notes – Hehehe! So many reviews for the last chapter! I'd answer them all, but that would take up my writing time, and I'm sure you guys want the next chapter as fast as I can write, ne? ^_~ But anyway, thanks for the reviews – and for my thanks, I give you the next chapter! Your reviews made me write faster and enabled me to post it today. Anyway, the village elder…is supposed to be Kagome's crazy grandfather, but I found out he really doesn't have a name except 'Grandpa', so that'll have to be his name in the future, lol. Anyway, R&R…and enjoy the new chapter! :)

Other Notes – Will be Kagome/Inuyasha, or course…but there will also be Kagome/Sesshomaru too, just like there's Kikyo/Inuyasha in the anime/manga ;) Rated PG-13 for swearing and violence.

Summary – Roles are switched, and Inuyasha releases the hanyou Kagome, who's been sealed to a tree for 50 years. When the Shikon no Tama is broken, they're forced to work together to find the shards before evil does.

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The village was small, the houses made of wood or branches, and mats of some sort covered the entrances to the huts. As they walked down the dirt road through the village, Inuyasha couldn't help but stare. The place seemed so…medieval! He watched as a horse drawn cart went past him, and turned to see someone else picking something from a field.

With a look of distaste, Inuyasha scrunched up his nose. _What did I do..fall through the well into the past or something? _He almost laughed at such a ridiculous idea. Turning his attention back to the men he was following, he asked, "Oi. How much longer until this elder guy?"

The man leading the others looked over his shoulder, brows turned into a glare, but said nothing. Inuyasha returned the gesture, crossing his arms in front of him and turning his head away to look at the village. _What an ass…he could have at least answered me!_

A crowd of people had gathered now, staring at the newcomer and whispering. Inuyasha's glare hardened, and he was about to say something along the lines of "What're you looking at?" when the men ahead of him announced that they were here. Inuyasha looked back to the front, where he saw the largest hut yet in the village, and he assumed it was the elder's house.

"He's inside," A voice said from behind, and Inuyasha wondered how the leader had managed to move without him knowing. He was suddenly pushed forward, "Go inside!"

With a growl, Inuyasha swung around to give the older man a piece of his mind, but the man and his group were already heading off in another direction. Growling in frustration, he made his way into the hut.

It was dark, and as the flap closed behind him, he found himself lost in a dark, strange place. Taking a few steps forward, he tripped over something and fell.

"Godamnit!" He yelled, "Why aren't there any lights?" Crawling to his knees, he stayed there for a moment, hoping that maybe when his eyes adjusted to the darkness he'd be able to see better. He could almost make out the dark lines of objects when light suddenly flooded the hut, and something was slapped forcefully onto his head.

"Evil be gone!" Yelled a male voice, and Inuyasha blinked in confusion as he stared at an old man. "Begone you filthy demon!" He was about to slap another talisman onto Inuyasha's head when he caught the old man by the wrist, twisting it around his back so he had the upper hand.

"What do you think you're doing?" Inuyasha barked, plucking the piece of paper off his head and letting it fall to the floor.

"Riding the village of demons!" The old man hissed in pain. "Let go, you vile thing!"

"I'm not a demon." Inuyasha replied calmly, letting go of the man. The shorter and older male turned around, eyeing Inuyasha in the light. "Do I look like a demon to you?"

The old man studied him, looking him up and down, before walking around him. "Hmm..no sign of being a demon – no ears, tail," He grabbed Inuyasha's hand, bringing it close to his face so he could see, "No claws," He let go, and Inuyasha's hand dropped to his side. The man pulled on Inuyasha's hair, making him bend down to his level. Before Inuyasha could protest, the man had his fingers in his mouth. "No fangs either." He removed his fingers, and Inuyasha spat in disgust. "Your not a demon!"

Inuyasha crossed his arms. "I told you, old man!"

"Boy, ya can't be too sure these days." The old man shook his head, "With all the demon attacks..the villagers are very upset. It's my duty as a priest to rid the village of evil."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "I don't need to know your troubles."

"Of course not." The old man moved to light a fire off to the side, and soon the whole hut was cast in light. "Now young man, please tell me why you're here."

Inuyasha sighed, letting his arms fall to his sides. "If I tell you, don't laugh!" He warned, "I'm hoping that you might be able to help me. You see, I woke up in this well," His eyes followed the little man around the hut, "And I was lost in some sort of forest.."

"Kagome's Forest."

"Yeah, whatever that is." Inuyasha nodded. "And I found this dead chick.."

"Kagome."

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "You named a forest after a dead chick who's pinned to a tree?"

"She's not a 'dead chick', she's a evil half demon who killed my brother." The old man corrected him. "He sealed her to that tree – the Goshinboku."

Something about that clicked in Inuyasha's mind, and he remembered hearing a fairytale something like it. Something about a priest and a demon woman in love, but the demon betrayed the man, and he sealed her to the tree. The same tree that stood in his front yard at home. But it was just another one of Myoga's stories, right?

"Anyway," Inuyasha continued, "These people found me and were going to kill me…but supposedly I look like this Sesshomaru guy.."

At that, the old man stopped what he was doing to look up at Inuyasha. He suddenly dropped all the talismans in his hands, and took a step forward. "Sesshomaru…I never noticed it before, because it was dark and my vision isn't as good as it used to be…but now that you mention it, you look a awful lot like him." The old man was standing before him now, peering up at him. "Where did you say you came from again?"

"I…I don't really know how to explain it. But.."

The old man reached out, touching Inuyasha's black jeans. "You wear funny clothes, not of our time." He said, and his eyes suddenly snapped up to meet Inuyasha's. "Woke up in a well, you say?"

Inuyasha nodded. "One minute I was waiting for my little sister to get a ladder…and the next I was fighting some demon, and I woke up here…"

The old man looked thoughtful. "Perhaps the well is the key." He mumbled, and Inuyasha raised a brow. "The key to your time and ours?"

"I don't know.." Inuyasha suddenly sat down indian style, laying his head in his hands, "This has been a awful day…I don't know what's going on, where I am…and why am I talking to some crazy old man in a little cramped up hut?" He groaned.

"It is very strange." The little man nodded, "But perhaps there is an explanation why you're here, and why you look like my dear older brother Sesshomaru." There was a moment of silence as the old man sat across from him, studying him. "When my brother died from the wound the hanyou had inflicted upon him, he said that he would protect the Shikon no Tama in his next life," The man started, but at the mention of the Shikon no Tama, Inuyasha's eyes widened.

"The monster…the demon thing!" He said, "It told me to give it the Shikon no Tama…it said I had it! But I didn't know what it was talking about…what is it?"

"It's a jewel, said to give the right person who holds it a single wish." The old man answered. "My brother protected it here in the village, until that bitch hanyou stole it and killed him." He raised a brow, "But this confirms my suspicions…you are the reincarnation of my brother Sesshomaru, and you have the jewel."

Inuyasha gave him a look of confusion. "If I don't know what it is, and I'm sure I don't have it…" He pulled out his jeans pockets to show the man he had nothing, "Then how do I have it?"

"I don't know the answer to that question either." The old man confessed. "But if the demon said you have it, then you do. Somewhere."

"Keh." Inuyasha crossed his arms. "Whatever. So I have a jewel I don't know about, what does that mean?"

"It means that every demon here will be in search of you – they all want it to become even more powerful." The old man took a big breath of air before saying, "You're in danger here."

"Oh, that's just great!" Inuyasha rolled his eyes with a sigh. "You know, I'm really starting to hate this place!"

"Can you use a bow and arrow?"

"What?" Inuyasha blinked.

"I said can you use a bow and arrow?" The older man asked again.

"I heard what you said the first time old man," Inuyasha growled, "A bow and arrow?"

The old man stood, picking through his belongings before returning with a wooden bow and a pile of arrows. "Yes, one of these." He handed it to Inuyasha, who frowned down at it.

"Isn't it kind of girly?" Inuyasha asked, studying the wooden fighting material before looking up at the old man once again. "I mean, men shouldn't be using bow and arrows…bow and arrows are for women! Real men use swords!" He dumped the bow and arrows off his lap, and it landed on the floor. "Got anything more manly I could use to defend myself?"

"Sorry, bow and arrows are the only thing we have." The old man answered.

Inuyasha groaned. "By the time I get the arrow in place, I'll have been already eaten! And I actually know how to use a sword!" He grinned, despite the situation, "Mom had me in all kinds of different fighting classes, and we learned to use all kinds of weapons," He looked down at the wooden bow in disgust, "Bow and arrows wasn't one of them."

"Well it isn't really that hard.." He was about to say more when there was a loud scream from the village, and the old man ran to the front door. Inuyasha followed after him, wondering what all the commotion was about.

Outside, people were running around like crazy, men running for their weapons and the women and children gathering in hopes to keep safe.

"We're under attack!" Someone yelled from the darkness, and Inuyasha realized it was getting late, and the sun was already setting. Had he really been in the hut talking to the man that long? He sighed – there was no way he was getting home tonight. He'd never get back to the well in one piece in the dark.

"Elder!" A young boy with wide, terrified eyes ran towards them, "We need your skills! The village is being attacked by a demon!"

The old man nodded, running back into the hut to gather his things. When he came back out, he had a pocket full of talismans and his bow and arrow.

"What do you plan on doing with that?" Inuyasha scoffed, eyeing the short old man, "Surely you don't think you can beat a demon with such things? An old man like you?"

"I'm the village elder," The old man answered, shifting his bow and loading it, "And I am a priest. I will rid my village of this evil."

Inuyasha gave him an amused look, and was about to comment when the demon came crashing through a nearby hut, and Inuyasha's head spun to get a look at it.

"The Shikon no Tama!" It screeched, and Inuyasha realized it was the same centipede-like woman he'd run into earlier.

"Oh shit," He breathed, eyes wide.

From behind him came an arrow, and he had guessed the old man had took aim and released the arrow. Unfortunately the beast was too fast, and it dodged the arrow as it crashed foreword, heading in Inuyasha's direction.

"Give it to me!" It hissed, and Inuyasha started to run as it sped after him.

From behind him, he could hear the old man yelling his name.

"It's after me!" He yelled over his shoulder. The last thing he wanted was people hurt and the village destroyed because of him. "I'll lead it away from the village!"

"Inuyasha!" The old man yelled again, staring after the young boy as he vanished into the dark forest. "Damnit!" Turning to the remaining men left standing, he told them to gather their things. They were going after Inuyasha and the demon.

To Be Continued…


	4. The Girl Awakens

Reversed Roles

Chapter Four – The Girl Awakens

By Crow Skywalker

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Disclaimer – I don't own Inuyasha, nor do I claim to. He belongs to the original creators, and I'm not getting paid anything from writing this fanfic.

Author's Notes – Ah, finally…the weekend. Sorry about the lack of updates during weekdays, I just have the time to write then. Weekends is usually when I do most of my writing, lol. I'm supposed to be writing my Biology research paper right now…but it got so boring I had to give up, and I wrote this instead. So, you'd all better enjoy it! Lol! R&R and sorry for any mistakes.

Other Notes – Will be Kagome/Inuyasha, or course…but there will also be Kagome/Sesshomaru too, just like there's Kikyo/Inuyasha in the anime/manga ;) Rated PG-13 for swearing and violence.

Summary – Roles are switched, and Inuyasha releases the hanyou Kagome, who's been sealed to a tree for 50 years. When the Shikon no Tama is broken, they're forced to work together to find the shards before evil does.

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The sun was so low in the horizon that the forest was quite dark now, and Inuyasha was having great difficulty trying to see where he was going.

__

This has got to be the most stupidest idea I've ever had! He thought, wildly running in different directions in hopes of losing the demon that was still chasing him. No matter what he tried, he couldn't lose it. _Running into a strange, dark forest with a bloodthirsty demon after me..and I have no weapons!_

Behind him a tree crashed to the ground as the demon chased after him, and he tried to pick up his pace_. I'm the fastest runner in my school and I still can't lose this thing!_ He groaned.

"You cannot escape me you filthy human!" Came a voice from the darkness behind him, "I can smell you! I know your scent!"

__

Smell me? Inuyasha furrowed his eyebrows as he ran_, Either it has a good sense of smell or I really smell!_ He frowned at that idea, shaking his head slightly. _Keh! Impossible! I do _not_ smell! I showered this morning!_

Another tree fell forward behind him as the demon crashed through it, it's centipede-like body whipping out in front of him to stop him in his path. Inuyasha barely had enough time to register something falling in front of him before he ran into it, falling backwards with the impact.

__

Son of a… Inuyasha winced, rubbing the back of his head with one hand.

"Stupid weak human!" The centipede-woman growled, "Give me the jewel or I'll tear you to shreds!" It then lunged forward, but Inuyasha was quick enough to roll out of its way. The woman half of the body crashed to the ground, its many arms tearing up the ground beneath it. Quickly, Inuyasha grabbed the only thing he could find, a nearby rock. When the demon finally raised its head to look at him with piercing angry eyes, he threw the rock as hard as he could and hit it between the eyes. It reared back with a screech, its eyes closed in pain.

"Take that!" He smirked and congratulated himself on his good aim. Then, leaping over the demon's body that had been blocking his way, he darted off in a different direction, hoping that the demon was distracted enough that he could get a good distance from it, and perhaps find a way to escape.

-----

After 10 minutes of running through the dark forest and hearing no signs of the centipede demon, Inuyasha realized that he'd done it – he'd lost the stupid demon. With a sigh of relief, he sat back against a tree, trying to catch his breath. Peering up at the sky, he noticed that the sky was now totally dark, the sun having finally set, and the only light now came from the moon.

__

This is just great, he sighed, trying to be as quiet as possible. He didn't want to alert the demon of his whereabouts, and it was all bad enough the thing supposedly thought he smelled. _Why is this happening to me?_ He sat further down, slumping against the tree so that most of his back was on the ground, his head laid against the trunk of the tree, his thoughts wandering.

He'd begun the day just like any other day, doing the chores his crazy grandfather Myoga wouldn't do. He'd found his sister Rin in the well house, staring down into the dark depths of the well, terrified that a demon was going to come out. He'd been stupid enough to try to prove Myoga wrong – every story his grandfather had told had been a lie after all, right? Who would have known it would be true… he'd been suddenly attacked and had somehow ended up here.

Lost, he'd wandered through the forest, until he came upon a beautiful sleeping girl. Well, she had looked like she had been asleep, at least.

Inuyasha scrunched up his nose. _Turns out she's dead._

He'd then been attacked by villagers, who brought him to see the crazy village elder, who had thought Inuyasha was a demon and had slapped anti-demon spells on him. He'd then learned all kinds of information…and the village had been attacked..

__

And here I am, he growled in frustration, _hiding from some demon who's trying to kill me!_ _Lost in some other place or time…with some stupid jewel I don't even know about…what a day this has been!_

A noise brought him out of his angry state, and his eyes widened. Had the demon finally caught up? Was it going to find him and kill him now? He listened more carefully, trying to find out what direction it was coming from. Stilling himself, he listened for almost a whole minute before he caught it again. It sounded like…whispering? A far away voice? Inuyasha shook his head. Who'd be crazy enough to be out in the middle of a demon infested forest at this time of the night besides him? He wondered if he should go find the source of the voice.

Standing, Inuyasha brushed himself off. _Keh! It doesn't matter…whoever's stupid enough to be out here isn't worth my time!_ He scowled, crossing his arms, _let the demon eat them…see if I care!_ But the whispering continued, and Inuyasha felt himself drawn to it. 

__

Well..maybe I should at least warn them of the danger.. He gave in, letting his arms fall to his sides as he made his way in the direction he thought the voice was coming from.

The forest seemed to grow darker as he pushed branches out of his way, stumbling over fallen trees and rocks. He got a strange foreboding feeling, but he chose to ignore it. The whispering was drawing him…as if calling out to him through the darkness.

"Fuck!" He growled out, tripping over yet another large rock he couldn't see. He didn't care if the demon heard him, the demon was far from his mind as the whispering voice grew closer.

Finally breaking through the trees, he found himself in a familiar clearing, staring up at a very familiar tree. It was slightly different from his last encounter, but he guessed it was because earlier he'd come during the day, and now it was dark

The whispering had stopped now, and he listened carefully, his eyes darting around the clearing in hopes to catch the voice again. However, the whispering voice was heard no more. Kicking the dirt in frustration, Inuyasha made his way forward.

__

Perhaps I could hide in the tree? He wondered, looking up. _It _is_ the tallest tree around…I could probably see the demon's location from up there._ His eyes landed on the dead girl instantly, and he stopped. _Forget it…I'm not about to disturb a dead girl._

She was still there, pinned against the tree with the same sword he'd seen earlier. The only difference he could see was that her head was no longer leaned to the side, but was now down so that her chin was touching her chest, and her long black hair covered her face. Inuyasha wondered if she'd moved on her own, but then decided it had to have been the wind. Dead girls didn't move, now did they?

Looking away from her, he found that he'd unconsciously walked closer so now he stood at the upturned roots of the tree, the same roots he'd climbed to get a better look at the girl earlier that day. Reaching out, he gripped the hard wood and pushed himself up with strong arms, crawling up onto the root. He stood with steady legs, balancing himself so that he wouldn't fall. That done, he finally looked at the girl.

__

Kagome.. He raised a hand, slowly reaching out to lift her head and brush the hair away from her face. _Such a pretty face…it shouldn't be covered like this._ Gently gripping her chin, feeling the oddly warm skin under his fingers, he slowly tipped it forward, causing the hair to fall back in place, and revealing two very open and very red eyes.

Inuyasha let go with a cry of surprise, and for the second time that day, fell backwards off the root. He landed on his back, sharp pains shooting through him. "Damn it!" Any other curse words he was about to utter was cut off when he heard a female voice.

"Sesshomaru."

Inuyasha looked up, raising himself into a sitting position using his arms. His eyes widened as he found two eyes staring back at him, no longer red, but narrowed in hatred.

"Sesshomaru. You've returned to kill me once and for all, I see." She said in a steady voice, but her anger and hatred could still be heard.

"What are you talking about?" Inuyasha staggered to his feet, moving away from the now awake and very alive girl. "I'm not Sesshomaru…and you're already dead!"

Kagome raised an eyebrow. "Why are you playing such games? You _are_ Sesshomaru…you have his white hair, and you look just like him!" She snarled, "And you know I'm not dead…I was sealed! There's a difference! I was technically dead…and I _was_ dead until you came back to finish the job!"

"Does it look like I'm about to kill you?" Inuyasha raised both hands to show he had no weapons. "If I have nothing to kill you with, then how the hell do you think I'm going to go about the task?"

Kagome growled, an inhuman sound and made him almost want to back away. But he was angry and confused, and he wasn't about to back down from proving a point. "You always were an idiot," She continued to growl, glancing down at the sword that pierced her to the tree, "You have your sword! Take it! Finish the job! That's what you're here for!"

Inuyasha raised his hands to his head in frustration, "Listen here bitch! I'm not this Sesshomaru guy, and that's not my godamn fucking sword!" He yelled, startling her. "I'm having a terrible day, and you accusing me of being someone I'm not is giving me a headache!"

Silence followed as she stared at him, studying him hard before she sniffed the air. Her eyes widened. "You're not Sesshomaru!"

Inuyasha groaned. "I told you I wasn't!"

"What have you done with him?" She snapped, "Why do you look so much like the white haired priest?"

Inuyasha calmed slightly, looking up at the girl. "From what the village elder told me, he'd dead. Died a long time ago."

"What?" All anger disappeared from her, and her eyes widened even larger.

"He's dead." Inuyasha stated calmly, arms crossed in front of him, "He died 50 years ago."

Kagome seemed to think this over, leaving a eerie silence. "50 years ago.." She muttered, before she scowled, "Hmph! Good riddance then! Now I don't have to hunt him down and kill him myself!"

Inuyasha uncrossed his arms, suddenly realizing that they'd been arguing quite loudly, and talking out loud had probably alerted the other demon of his location. Turning his gaze back to the girl, he told her, "It's been a pleasure talking to you and all," He started sarcastically, "But I really have to be going. I'm being chased by a demon."

He turned to leave, wondering why the hell he'd even bothered talking to the tempered girl, and wondering how on earth he'd ever found her attractive. "See ya around," He waved.

He'd only taken a few steps before he heard her call out to him.

"Hey! Wait!" She said in a calm voice, and he realized when she wasn't yelling and snarling, she actually had a nice voice. He turned to look at her, one brow raised in question. She looked hesitant for a second before finally asking, "Can you please help me down?"

Inuyasha's eyes widened slightly at the 'please', and debated on whether or not to help her. _Well, she _is_ being nice…and I can't leave her there for the demon to eat.. _With a sigh he gave in and he started walking back to the tree. Climbing the roots once again, he stood face to face with the demon girl, and found himself staring at her.

__

It's so weird…she looks like a normal human girl, but she has fangs, claws and ears… He frowned slightly.

"What?" She snapped, her anger returning to her.

Inuyasha shook his head. "Nothing. But you'd better be a lot nicer or I won't help you at all!" He replied hotly.

Kagome frowned, before looking down and apologizing. "I'm sorry. I just..I just woke up today..after 50 years…and I happened to die with a lot of anger." She hesitated, looking up at him, "And you were the first person to come across me, and you really do look a lot like Sesshomaru…I'm sorry I took out my anger on you, okay?"

"Apology accepted." Inuyasha gave a small smile – she really wasn't as bad as he had thought she was. "Now, how do I go about freeing you?"

"The sword –" She started to explain, but was interrupted by a shrill cry from the forest, which caused Inuyasha to whirl around, just as a demon crashed through the trees and into the clearing.

To Be Continued…


	5. Kagome’s Set Free

Reversed Roles

Chapter Five – Kagome's Set Free

By Crow Skywalker

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Disclaimer – I don't own Inuyasha, nor do I claim to. He belongs to the original creators, and I'm not getting paid anything from writing this fanfic.

Author's Notes – Sorry I'm so late with this…I tried to do a chapter every week, but I'm now a week behind. Was busy with school, and my grandmother was visiting…so I really didn't have the time. But here it is – the chapter you readers have been waiting for! Hard to believe I'm five chapters into the fic, and in reality, I'm still only on the very first episode…crazy, huh? Anyway, R&R, and most important, enjoy the fic!

Other Notes – Will be Kagome/Inuyasha, or course…but there will also be Kagome/Sesshomaru too, just like there's Kikyo/Inuyasha in the anime/manga ;) Rated PG-13 for swearing and violence.

Summary – Roles are switched, and Inuyasha releases the hanyou Kagome, who's been sealed to a tree for 50 years. When the Shikon no Tama is broken, they're forced to work together to find the shards before evil does.

----------

On top of her head, Kagome's ear twitched in annoyance. She had been about to be freed when the half centipede, half woman demon had come crashing into the clearing, bringing down trees, rocks and dirt as it headed straight for them.

"It seems that demon you mentioned earlier's found you," Kagome snorted, keeping an eye on the approaching figure.

Inuyasha clenched his teeth, eyes furrowed as he leapt off the tree root and onto the soft ground below. "Seems so."

At once, Kagome's attention turned to the boy wearing the strange clothes, eyes wide. "Hey! Where do you think you're going? You said you'd help me!"

The hissing demon was now close, it's body twirling around itself as it held it's human half up high, arms outstretched and claws sharp and ready to strike. "There's no escape!" It leered down at Inuyasha, who was now standing prepared for the next attack, "I shall have it!"

At this, Kagome's ears perked up, and she studied the funny looking human boy, suddenly wondering _why_ he was being chased by this demon. _What does he have that the demon wants so badly?_ She wondered.

Inuyasha backed away, hands up in defeat. "Hey, I already told you I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Lies!" It screeched, and Kagome flattened her ears to her head in pain.

"Just give whatever you have to the stupid demon!" She hissed down at Inuyasha.

Inuyasha growled, glaring up at the girl. "If I had it, I would, believe me!" He insisted, "But as it turns out, I don't have what it's looking for!"

The demon chose to lunge at this point, crashing to the ground and sending a shower of rocks in every direction. Inuyasha just barely had enough time to jump out of the way as several clawed hands swiped at him. Inuyasha fell to the ground not too far away.

"If you don't do something, it's going to kill you." Kagome pointed out from where she still hung pinned to the tree.

"And what am I supposed to do?" Inuyasha snapped loudly over the growls and hisses coming from the demon in front of him, "I have no weapons!"

Kagome smirked. "Well, I do have a sword here that could come in handy IF YOU EVER LET ME DOWN FROM THIS TREE!" She yelled the last part, showing her annoyance.

The demon was after him again now, and Inuyasha ran as it came for him. However the demon swung it's body again, trapping him before it pulled tight, and he soon found himself pinned up against Kagome, the demon pulling tighter and crushing him to her.

"Hey!" Kagome growled, "Get off me!"

Inuyasha growled, trying to pry himself away from the girl with no avail. The demon was much too strong, and he was trapped.

"You think I want to be anywhere near you, bitch?" He growled himself, struggling against the centipede's firm grip around them and the tree. "I just want to make it through this alive and go home!"

Kagome's scowl suddenly faded and she began to giggle. "Hey! Stop it! GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME! THAT TICKLES!"

Inuyasha stopped his struggling, giving the girl a funny look. "I'm about to be killed, and here you are complaining that I'm tickling you?"

She stopped her laughter, her scowl returning. "Well maybe if you used your head and pulled out this sword here," Her gaze flickered to the long silver sword sticking out of her stomach, "You could use it to kill the demon and you can happily prance on home."

Inuyasha looked down at the sword, feeling his body being crushed. If he could get his hands free, then maybe –

"Inuyasha! Don't even think about it!" Called a voice, and Inuyasha tried to turn his head to see who was talking. Managing to turn his head to the side, he could barely see the old man he'd met at the village.

"Oi, old man! Better get out of here before you get crushed too!" He shouted back.

"Don't touch that sword!" The old man replied, ignoring Inuyasha's words. There was a glint of light, and Inuyasha saw that he had an arrow aimed at the demon. "I don't know why you're awake Kagome, but I'll deal with you after I kill this demon!"

Kagome snorted. "Great, I'm going to be killed by grandpa over there after all this is over…at least that's something to look forward to," She rolled her eyes.

The demon, who had swung around to face the old man and his group of villagers, now turned his attention back to Inuyasha. The village elder closed one eye, aiming carefully before he let go, sending the arrow straight for the demon. Inuyasha watched as it hit it just below the human half, just barely piercing the skin. The demon reared back with a hiss of pain, clearly angered, and its tight grip loosened somewhat.

"You know," Kagome commented quietly, "Now would be a good time to pull that sword out and set me free. I could slice that thing up before you could even blink!" She boasted, trying desperately to get free now. She had to, otherwise she'd suffer a cruel death by the old man later on, and she didn't want to wait around for that.

"But the village elder.." Inuyasha started to argue, looking back at Kagome. They were eye to eye now, her pretty face just centimeters before his own, and her big brown eyes looking into his pleadingly. "Fine," He gave in, hauling his arms free from where they were confined, glad that the demon had turned its attention elsewhere for the moment.

It was a normal sword, although slightly rusty it was long and thin, with a dark handle. With one hand he reached out, griping it firmly, before he gave one small tug. It came out instantly, as if it weren't even pierced into anything, and lifting it, he found it to be as light as a feather. He silently wondered how such a thing could keep the strange girl pinned to the tree for so long.

"You will pay for that!" The demon was hissing at the village elder, "But not before.." It swung back in Inuyasha's direction, "I kill you and take the Sh –" Whatever it was about to say was cut off as a blast of energy passed through the clearing, and all eyes turned to Kagome, who's hair had fallen over her face.

Inuyasha peered at her in confusion, still holding on to the sword. "Are you okay?" He asked quietly, wondering what the hell had just happened.

"Okay?" Came her small voice, and there was a sound that sounded quite like giggling, before her head shot up, her red eyes glowing and her giggles turning into laughter. "I feel better than I've ever felt in my whole life!"

"Inuyasha! You didn't!" Came the old man's furious voice, that held an undertone of fear.

"Oh yes he did!" Kagome continued to laugh, "I'M FREE!" She yelled, declaring it to the world as she clenched her hands tightly at her sides, feeling her sharp claws before she yanked them forward, digging them into the belly of the centipede. The centipede let go of them, pulling away in pain, and both Inuyasha and Kagome fell to the ground, her on her feet and him painfully to his knees.

"Idiot!" Inuyasha saw the old man glaring at him and snarling, "She'll destroy us all!"

He snapped his attention back to the girl, getting a good glimpse of her. Before, when she'd been pinned to the tree, she'd been covered in roots and moss. Now all that was gone, and she looked just like any other normal girl with long black hair, big brown eyes…the only thing that gave her away were the matching black ears on top of her head, her long cat-like claws and maybe the fangs that showed when she opened her mouth. All in all, she didn't look that scary – so why were the village people looking on in fear? Why was everyone so worried?

Facing the demon, Kagome bared her fangs. "I'm going to rip you to shreds!" She hissed, before jumping, claws outstretched.

It was the demon's turn to be on defense, as it dodged out of the way. "Silly hanyou!" It laughed, a cold sound that sent shivers down the villager's spines, "Once I get the Shikon no Tama, I will be invincible!"

__

The Shikon no Tama…Kagome suddenly stopped, all menace leaving her eyes. _Was that what the demon was after?_ She peered over her shoulder at Inuyasha, _is he the one carrying it? _Breathing in the night air and tuning her senses to the boy, she sensed something very familiar.

"What are you looking at?" Inuyasha snapped, using the sword he still held to stand up, "Stop gawking and kill that thing!"

Kagome scowled, looking back at the demon. _A human telling me what to do? As if!_ She suddenly crossed her arms, a bored look crossing her face as she looked away.

"Hey!" Inuyasha stumbled forward, "What do you think you're doing??" He yelled at her, "Kill it!"

"I don't take orders from humans!" She called back.

Inuyasha stopped, a stunned look on his face, before it melted into a very angry look. "I freed you from the stupid tree! The least you could do is kill this thing!"

"And if I don't want to?" She answered stubbornly.

Inuyasha growled in frustration, glancing down at the sword. If she wouldn't kill it, then perhaps he could at least fend it off with the old rusty sword?

Another arrow flew through the air, digging into the demon's shoulder. It turned to the cowering villagers. "You!" It ripped the arrow from its shoulder, the blood running down its naked chest. It lifted one of its many arms, its claws aimed at the village elder.

"Hey you!" Inuyasha called to it, seeing that it was about to attack the villagers. When it turned to him, he frowned, "Your fight is with me! If you want it," He opened his arms invitingly, "Then come get it!"

The demon seemed to go for it, and he raised the flimsy sword as it came racing at him. From where she stood, Kagome raised a brow.

__

I must admit, the guy's got guts. She then smirked, _but he'll never win with that sword. Only Sesshomaru can use it the way it's supposed to be used._

And she was right, as the demon came down upon him, Inuyasha held out the sword, slicing into the monster as he dodged out of its way. It barely made a dent in the beast's hide, and as it hit one of the many hard legs, he caught and he let go as it bounced off of it and flipped into the air, landing halfway across the clearing. It landed far out of reach, its rusty blade dug into the ground.

Inuyasha stared down at his empty hands in disbelief. _Uh oh…_There was a flash as the demon's claws hand raked across him, and looking down in horror, he saw that his shirt had been ripped apart and was slowly turning red with blood. _Damn…_

"Inuyasha!" He heard the old man cry out as the demon swiped at him again, and this time its claws dug deep into him, lifting him off the ground. There was a glowing purple-pink light, and Inuyasha wondered if this was it – this was the end of him.

-----

Kagome watched, shifting uneasily on both feet as she watched the demon attack the human boy. As much as she was angry at being ordered around by a weak human, she felt guilty for not helping him.

Dropping her arms to her side, she sighed. _Why am I standing here, watching the demon slowly kill him? He did help me down from the tree…_She looked up in time to see him get slashed across the chest, and she could easily smell the blood. She was about to step forward to help but her pride stopped her.

From where she stood, she could hear the old man call out to the boy, and she winced as the monster struck the human once again. However, something strange happened this time. As the claws dug into him, a glowing, and somewhat bloody, jewel fell to the ground below him. Kagome blinked, staring at it, and instantly recognizing it.

__

The Shikon no Tama! Kagome took that step forward now, claws raised and ready to attack. She would get that jewel no matter what!

-----

"It was inside him the whole time.." The village elder whispered in awe from where he stood, staring across the distance at the small glowing jewel. His eyes instantly flickered up to Inuyasha, who's eyes were now closed in pain as the demon held him in a death grip with all six arms.

Memories suddenly came flooding back to the old man, and he closed his eyes as he let them take over. Memories of his long deceased brother Sesshomaru.

__

The young boy's eyes opened wide upon seeing his older brother stumbling blindly into the village, his left arm wrapped around him and holding his chest and stomach tightly. He was about to run to him when he hesitated, studying his brother more closely.

Sesshomaru looked tired, his eyes half closed, and he could barely walk. Each step looked painful to him, as every time he lifted his foot he seemed to clench his jaws together tightly in pain. The younger brother suspected that the tiredness was due to the fact that Sesshomaru, upon having heard the hanyou Kagome had stolen the jewel from the village, had run off in search of the girl. But why was Sesshomaru holding his stomach and chest like that, and where was Tetsusaiga, his big brother's sword? Sesshomaru never left that sword anywhere – it was what he used to protect the village! It held great power that only his brother could wield – so why was Sesshomaru returning empty handed?

The smell of blood finally hit the younger brother and he ran forward, catching Sesshomaru as his legs finally gave out for the very last time and he fell to the ground.

"Sesshomaru!" The young boy cried, holding onto his brother tightly. He could see the blood now – it was seeping through Sesshomaru's normally white clothes. "Come! You must hurry to the village healer!"

By now the villagers had started to crowd around, looking over the scene as it played out. Sesshomaru shook his head, ignoring them all.

"It is too late for me." He told the young boy, and winced as another flash of pain went through him.

"Sesshomaru!" Tears came to the younger brother's eyes.

"I have sealed the hanyou to the God tree," he said in a low voice, "She will bother this village no more." The was a moment of silence as he coughed, blood turning his pale lips red, "Brother," He laid and frail hand on the boy's shoulder, "When I die, burn the jewel with my body. I will take it with me in death, and then I shall have it to watch over in my next life."

Tears now flowing freely down his face, the boy shook his head, "Don't talk like that! You're not going to die!" He insisted, "I won't let you!" __

Sesshomaru's hand dropped from his shoulder and his breaths became slower and fewer. "Please, do as I say."

The young boy held on to his brother until the very last breath, and even when Sesshomaru was finally dead, he sat there silently crying, hugging him close tightly. It was the villagers that had finally pried him away, and the burning ceremony took place only hours afterwards. Carrying out his brother's final wish, the boy burned the jewel along with the body, silently watching as the flames engulfed it.

The old man snapped out of the memories, his eyes still on Inuyasha_. It is true then…my brother said he would take the jewel into his next life, and this only proves it…_

He truly is the reincarnation of my brother Sesshomaru.

To Be Continued…


	6. The Hanyou’s Defeat

Reversed Roles

Chapter Six – The Hanyou's Defeat

By Crow Skywalker

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Disclaimer – I don't own Inuyasha, nor do I claim to. He belongs to the original creators, and I'm not getting paid anything from writing this fanfic.

Author's Notes – Finally an update! While re-reading the last few chapters, I suddenly realized that I made a big mistake. I don't think anyone else has noticed it yet (noone's said anything, anyway) but Inuyasha never told the village elder his name. Heh…well, forgive that mistake. Or just forget I mentioned it ;P Anyway, the long awaited chapter – find out how Kagome's subdued! Sadly, I won't be using the rosary in this fic. I figured bracelets would be more feminine, and whoever asked if Kagome's a cat demon – the answer is yes ;) Why? Keh, cause I decided it to be that way! Lol. So now we have Inuyasha and a cat demon…quite ironic, ne? And the way she's subdued – quite kitty-like also, if you ask me ^_^ Anyway, enjoy, and R&R!

Other Notes – Will be Kagome/Inuyasha, or course…but there will also be Kagome/Sesshomaru too, just like there's Kikyo/Inuyasha in the anime/manga ;) Rated PG-13 for swearing and violence.

Summary – Roles are switched, and Inuyasha releases the hanyou Kagome, who's been sealed to a tree for 50 years. When the Shikon no Tama is broken, they're forced to work together to find the shards before evil does.

----------

The pain ripped through him like a knife, to the point where Inuyasha couldn't even open his eyes anymore. He couldn't feel anything but the searing pain in his chest, and the blood that was coming from where the demon had cut into him. He half expected the claws to come back to finish the job any second now.

When I woke up this morning, I never guessed that it would all end up like this…that I'd be killed in some feudal time, he thought painfully. Mom…Rin…who will be there to take care of you when I'm gone? Who will Myoga scam into doing work for him while he hides away? 

"The jewel.." Came the centipede woman's voice through his thoughts, and he managed to open one eye. She still had a firm grip on him, all six arms wrapped tightly around him in a death hold, her claws digging into his flesh. Her attention, however, had been diverted to something else now it seemed, for she was staring at the ground behind him with almost a grin upon her face, two long white fangs glinting in the moonlight.

Inuyasha tried to turn his head to see what the demon was staring at. Not too far away from him, he spotted the glowing jewel, and his eyes widened. _The jewel…that's what that light was when the demon dug its claws into me! I had the jewel all along – it was inside me!_

The demon suddenly loosened its grip on him, and Inuyasha felt himself falling to the ground below. Within seconds the demon had the jewel in one of its many hands. "This is it! Soon I will be powerful…"

"Not if I can help it!" Cried a voice, and Inuyasha looked up in time to see the hanyou girl jump at the demon. Her claws went right through its flesh, cutting up the centipede part of its body. And she didn't stop there – with a flying leap, she swiped at its head. It raised its arms to protect itself from the attack, getting its arms sliced off in the process. The jewel fell to the ground with the severed arms.

"You stupid little hanyou bitch!" It screeched, raising its bloody stumps, "You will pay for that!"

Kagome stood back, ready to attack again, eyes narrowed in determination. She would destroy the demon, grab the jewel and finally have what she always wanted. She bared her teeth, expecting the demon to attack her. Her eyes widened when it lunged straight for the jewel, its mouth open.

__

Shit no! She raced after it, taking to the air just as the demon reached its goal, taking the small glowing jewel in its mouth and swallowing it whole. Kagome landed not far from it, staring at it in confusion at what happened next.

"I can feel the power…" Its skin seemed to darken before it finally peeled off, revealing a even more terrible looking demon underneath. Its arms grew back instantly, and it raised them threateningly as if they hadn't even been gone in the first place.

"Whoa…" Inuyasha stared from where he'd fallen, "The power of the jewel made it even more powerful." At that, the demon swung out at Kagome, sending her crashing to the ground not too far away. Inuyasha stood, watching as it advanced on her yet again. _If I don't do something, that thing's going to kill her!_ His eyes searched the clearing before landing on the rusty sword. With his mind made up, he raced to get it.

"I'm going to enjoy picking you apart bit by bit," The demon told Kagome fiercely, and Kagome winced as she tried to get up. Her shoulder had been hurt from the attack, and it was pretty much useless. Kagome growled in frustration.

"You won't be doing no such thing!" Inuyasha yelled from behind them, now standing with the sword in his hands.

The demon laughed, a bone chilling horrible sound that made Kagome flatten her eyes to her head. "You can't do anything with that rusty sword!"

Kagome had to agree, the sword was pretty much useless, but it had caused the distraction that she'd needed. Pulling herself to her feet using her good arm, she smirked at the centipede woman's back. She raised her good arm, her sharp nails glinting in the moonlight. With a cry of "Sankon Tetsusou!" She jumped, slashing into the unsuspecting demon.

Inuyasha watched as the demon in front of him suddenly fell to pieces, and the hanyou girl landed not too far away from him, breathing heavily. _Wow…did she just do that?_

"Inuyasha!" He turned to find the old man making his way towards him, "Hurry before it pulls itself back together! Find the Shikon no Tama!"

Inuyasha looked back at the pieces of demon, wondering how on earth he was supposed to find that little jewel in that bloody mess. As if reading his mind, the old man answered, "Look for something glowing. You should be able to see it."

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes, quickly glancing over the demon pieces. He was about to say he couldn't see anything when he saw it. In a larger chunk of demon not too far away, something was shimmering brightly in the moonlight. Moving towards it he yelled, "I see it!"

"Good, hurry!"

Inuyasha reached down, taking the jewel from the bloody mess. He frowned, staring at it as he made his way back to the village elder_. This…it's so small_.._"_I was going to be killed over something as stupid as a little pink ball?" He wondered aloud, slightly annoyed.

"Watch out!"

Inuyasha glanced up, watching as the old man started waving his arms frantically, his bow fallen to the ground in front of him. His eyes were wide in fear, and he was staring at something behind Inuyasha. "Hey Gramps – what's with all the crazy arm motions? The demon's dead already! And the stupid jewel is safe!" He held up the jewel, but the man didn't appear to notice.

"Get out of the way – run!"

"What's with him?" Inuyasha sighed with a shrug.

"Maybe you should listen to your elders." Came a feminine voice from behind him, and Inuyasha spun around only to come face to face with Kagome. She held a clawed hand in front of her, fingers arched upwards with her claws glinting in the dim moonlight. She moved her index finger towards her palm, taking a step forward. "Hand it over."

Inuyasha frowned. "Hand what over?"

Kagome growled in irritation. "The jewel, stupid!"

Inuyasha, offended by the 'stupid' comment, held on to the jewel more tightly. "Actually, since you're being so _nice_," He said sarcastically, "I think I'll keep it."

"Boy," She spat nastily, "Don't make me get physical!"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes at the girl, clearly not impressed. "You know, it was only a few minutes ago you were apologizing for being so rude to me, and now here you are threatening me."

Kagome blinked, her hand lowering slightly before her glare returned full force. "Well that was before I learned you have the Shikon no Tama – now hand it over!"

"Don't do it Inuyasha!" The old man yelled from somewhere behind them.

"What's the magic word?" Inuyasha asked with a smirk, ignoring the shouts from the elder and his people.

Kagome huffed. "Please?"

Inuyasha pretended to think it over, before shaking his head slightly. "No."

"What?" Kagome's face went blank.

"Are you deaf?" Inuyasha snapped, "I said no – you can't have it!"

Kagome furrowed her brow, her head cocked slightly to one side as she stared at the man in front of her. Odd, this one was. Kagome was used to being feared by everyone, and she was used to getting everything her way. But this boy – she sensed no fear in him. In fact, he was playing with her, pretending he was going to hand it over, but then not doing it. This frustrated Kagome to no end – she certainly didn't want to turn to violence, but the arrogant boy in front of her needed a good kick in the ass!

"I heard you the first time," She replied after she got over her shock. Her arm fell to her side, and she tried to push all emotion away from her. "I'll ask one more time – please, can I have the jewel?"

Inuyasha tossed it carelessly from one hand to another, watching as the hanyou girl's eyes followed his every movement. "Sorry, can't."

Kagome growled, her anger flooding back to her. She'd tried to be nice – which was a first for her – and he still wouldn't hand it over! Her fingers twitched in irritation at her sides. "Well then, I'm sorry that I'll have to take it from your shredded body!"

"Inuyasha – for gods sakes MOVE IT!"

This time Inuyasha obeyed the old man, jumping out of the way just as Kagome leapt into the air. Swiping one clawed hand through the air, it seemed like her claws sank deep into it, making the air bleed. The red rips missed their target, cutting into a tree nearby. Inuyasha watched as it sliced clean through, and the tree fell to the ground with an earth shaking thud.

"Oh shit.." He muttered, wide eyes as he stared at what had just happened. As the dust cleared, he could see two angry red eyes staring back at him.

"I don't want to do this, but if you must insist –" There was a growl, and at lightening speed the female hanyou took to the air once more.

"Use the sword, Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha blinked, his attention momentarily on the old geezer standing not too far away, before his gaze dropped to the sword lying on the ground. Rolling out of the way of the half demon's attack, he managed to grab it. Peering down at it, he scoffed – what was he supposed to do with it now? The stupid thing hadn't worked against the centipede woman, so why should it work now?

"Foolish human," Kagome muttered just loud enough to hear. She was crouched where she had just landed, her back turned to him. "Drop the sword, it will do you no good!"

His eyes narrowed, Inuyasha stood, gripping the sword in front of him with two hands.

Kagome peered over her shoulder, one eyebrow raised. So he was going to fight her using Sesshomaru's sword, was he? The old hunk of rusty junk that could probably no longer even cut through flesh it was so blunt? She almost laughed. Once upon a time Sesshomaru's sword had been a lethal object, known across the land for its sharp and deadly blade. Now it was nothing, and the boy didn't even have a clue to use it!

"I won't let you have to jewel." Inuyasha said through clenched teeth, his deadly glare never wavering.

With one swing, Kagome knocked the object out of Inuyasha's hand, and rolled her eyes as he took a hesitant step backwards. With her good arm, she reached out one clawed finger to poke him in the chest. "You're a pain in the ass, you know that?" She shook her head, "This would be all over if you'd just _hand_," her finger trailed down his chest, becoming more forceful as it went down, "The stupid _jewel_," a trail of blood started to flow where her claw dug deeper into his flesh, "_OVER_!" Her eyes flashed red and a cat-like growl escaped her lips.

Inuyasha winced, trying to stand his ground. No way he was going to be intimidated by a girl - even if she was part demon! "No."

Her eyes cleared, and suddenly wide brown eyes were staring back into his. "You still won't hand it over?"

"Never."

Kagome pulled away in anger. "What will it take for me to get across to you!" She pulled a bloody claw away from him, pointing at herself, "I'm a demon," She then pointed back at him, "You're a human. You're supposed to fear me, and if you don't hand it over I'll stop playing these games and I really will kill you!"

"Then stop playing games and get it over with."

Kagome's eyes narrowed, and she flexed her good hand at her side. "If you truly wish to die, then I guess I'll have to be the one to grant that wish." The clawed hand swiped at him, tearing into him and forcing him backwards. Still, he refused to run.

"Inuyasha, you idiot! Get out of there!" Yelled the village elder, but Inuyasha chose to ignore him. Inuyasha never ran from a fight, and he certainly wasn't going to let a girl get the best of him! Call him stubborn, but he refused to move. Seeing this, the elder searched his mind to think of something he could do to help. His eyes widened as his hands went to his pockets, and he fingered two metallic-like objects.

The claws slashed across the air again, and this time Inuyasha ducked so that he wouldn't be hit like last time. His chest was on fire, and he still hurt from where the centipede demon had crushed and tossed him around.

"Stay still!" Kagome snapped, swiping at him again.

Pulling the objects out of his pocket, the elder eyed the two bracelets. Made out of the finest metal of their time, carved by a man well known for his work with swords and weaponry, the two silver bracelets were said to be unbreakable, each holding a very powerful charm in the middle of them. He tapped them thoughtfully, before closing his eyes and searching for the words of the spell that he wished to cast.

Another tree fell, Inuyasha having rolled out of the way from another attack. Surely if he kept this up, the girl would tire soon and he could win? Well, that's what he hoped anyway. He wasn't about to attack a girl anyway – it wasn't his thing. He picked up the old sword again, just in case anyway. It was something to use to protect himself at any rate.

The cold metal started to glow as the elder chanted the words in his head, and as he opened his eyes, there was a flash of light, and the bracelets disappeared.

Inuyasha, still sitting on the ground, had the sword raised in his hands as the girl's claws raked across it. He barely noticed the flash of yellow light, when he heard the elder yell out something that sounded like, "Use a subduing spell!"

Kagome blinked, hesitating as she stared down at the new accessories on both her wrists. "What the.."

"Subduing spell?" Inuyasha wondered, "I don't know any spells!"

"Just say something that will subdue the girl!" The elder called back impatiently.

Forgetting the new jewelry for now, Kagome lunged forward, this time clawing across his hands so that he was forced to drop the sword. Unable to hold on any longer, the jewel also dropped from his hands, landing with a soft thump on the grass below him and rolling a few feet away from him. His eyes shifted from Kagome to the jewel and back, and as if in slow motion, he saw her running for it.

"Shit no!" He searched his mind frantically…_subduing spell…subduing spell…I can't think of anything!_

"INUYASHA!" Cried the elder.

"Uhm…uh…STAY!" Inuyasha finally shouted, and to his amazement he watched as the girl was pulled down to the ground by her wrists, sitting on her knees with her arms in front of her holding her up, her palms face down in the grass.

Over her yelling, he blinked as he realized the village elder was now standing next to him talking. "You did it! She's subdued. Whenever you use the word 'stay', she will be forced to the ground like you just witnessed." He smiled down at the younger boy, "She can no longer hurt you."

Inuyasha got up, still somewhat confused as to what just happened, but a smile still spread across his face. Oh yes, he'd won! And even better – he now had one over the demon girl! She could no longer threaten or claw him, because he had a spell on her! Things were starting to look up.

Walking past the girl, he laid a hand on her head and playfully messed her hair, careful of her ears. "Good kitty!"

Kagome stopped yelling obscenities for a moment, only to glare up at him.

To Be Continued…

****


	7. Being Watched

Reversed Roles

Chapter Seven – Being Watched

By Crow Skywalker

----------

Disclaimer – I don't own Inuyasha, nor do I claim to. He belongs to the original creators, and I'm not getting paid anything from writing this fanfic.

Author's Notes – Wow, haven't updated this in a while! And I'm sorry to say this is a short chapter, too! ^^; Not really short…just a bit shorter than previous chapters. Sorry about that, and the delay. Had exams the last two weeks, and I've been incredibly sick (still am, too – had to go back to the doctor this morning x_x) so I haven't gotten much writing done. Anyway, before I leave you until the next chapter…I'd like to dedicate this chapter to someone :) That someone is Alexiel, whom I talk to on MSN…who told me to update, and so I did :P R&R, and enjoy the chapter!

Other Notes – Will be Kagome/Inuyasha, or course…but there will also be Kagome/Sesshomaru too, just like there's Kikyo/Inuyasha in the anime/manga ;) Rated PG-13 for swearing and violence.

Summary – Roles are switched, and Inuyasha releases the hanyou Kagome, who's been sealed to a tree for 50 years. When the Shikon no Tama is broken, they're forced to work together to find the shards before evil does.

----------

The fire was lit and glowing warmly, the smoke rising into the air and out through the hole in the roof of the hut. Shadows danced on the walls, cast from the flickering light of the fire. However, three shadows stood firmly against the seemingly moving shadows.

"Hold still." The village elder argued, holding out some white bandages as he struggled with the raven haired boy sitting in front of him. The boy was putting up quite the fight trying to get away from the old man. Catching hold of an arm as the boy tried to stand, the elder gave a hard yank, sending him back to the floor as he tried to pin the boy down. "Hold still – this won't hurt a bit!"

"Ow! Gramps! Get the fuck –" Inuyasha yelled, but he was soon cut off as the old man managed to grab hold of his shirt, tearing it down the front as he tried to bandage the wounds underneath. He winced as the elder pressed a deep cut to stop the bleeding. "That fucking hurts you bastard!"

"If you stopped moving, then it wouldn't hurt," Was the old man's reply.

From across the room, there was a snort as Kagome turned her head to look at them over her shoulder. "Somehow I doubt it. He seems to be quite the wussy."

Inuyasha growled, moving his head so that he could see past the elder and glare at the female hanyou. "Shut up! You're the one who did this!"

Kagome rolled her eyes, not bothering to respond.

The elder finished what he was doing, tying the bandages around Inuyasha's chest so that they held firmly. "There, I'm done. You'll have to get those changed every few hours, though."

Inuyasha huffed, grabbing his shirt and pulling it together as best as he could. So now he was lost in some strange place – or time – and he had no decent clothes! Things were going just great! Angrily getting to his feet, he shot the girl a nasty look, "And what are you doing here, anyway? Haven't you done enough damage?"

One soft black ear on top of her ear twitched, but Kagome gave no sign of answering the rude boy. In fact, she seemed to be ignoring him, her eyes closed and her face turned up slightly. She looked like she was resting.

Inuyasha fumed. He hated to be ignored! "Hey – cat girl! I'm talking to you!"

At this, Kagome's eyes opened, although only slightly as she narrowed them in his direction. "Don't call me that."

Inuyasha smirked. Oh yes, he'd found something that annoyed her! "Why not, kitty? Does it bother you?"

Kagome was on her feet now, fists clenched at her sides. "My name is Kagome! Ka-Go-Me! Learn it!"

Inuyasha turned away, arms crossed. "Why should I?"

"Could you two please stop bickering for one moment?" The elder, who'd been watching the whole exchange, sighed from where he sat.

Inuyasha glanced down at him, one brow raised in question. "Why?"

"Because there are things we need to discuss."

Inuyasha hesitated, shooting a glance at the hanyou before sitting down next to the elder. "Fine, lets get this over with then."

"Now, explain what happened again. Maybe we can make some sense out of this."

"But I already told-" Inuyasha started to protest, but the elder waved a hand and shook his head.

"Tell me again."

Inuyasha gave him an irritated look, before leaning backwards and reciting what had happened earlier that day from where he'd fell into the well, up to the point where he'd set the hanyou girl free. That's when the village elder stopped his story, nodding slightly as he took this all in. From across the room, Kagome rolled her eyes in disbelief.

"You can't actually believe his stupid story."

"Well, how do you explain me being here?" Inuyasha spat, sending yet another glare in her direction. They did not get along. At _all_.

"I don't know." Kagome snapped, "But it seems pretty far fetched to me!"

"Yeah, and a world full of demons isn't." Inuyasha answered sarcastically, "Here I am, talking to a…what are you again?"

"A hanyou." The girl said through gritted teeth.

"Oh yes, a _hanyou_." He continued, "Part human, part cat demon, I presume?"

"What of it?" She glared, crossing her arms in front of her.

"…and she doesn't believe me when I say I woke up in a well and found myself here?" He finished with a dark laugh, "Unbelievable."

"Inuyasha." Came the elder's stern voice, and the boy's attention immediately turned back to the older man. "So you came through the well, were attacked by the centipede demon, unleashed Kagome from where she was sealed for fifty years, and it was discovered that the jewel was inside you." He shook his head, "You _are_ the reincarnation of Sesshomaru."

Inuyasha blinked, and Kagome scoffed, "Like the reincarnation of the great Sesshomaru would turn out to be an idiot like this!"

The elder gave her a warning look, before continuing. "When Sesshomaru died, he had the jewel burned with him. He promised to look after it in the next life, and it turned out that you had it inside you." He nodded at Inuyasha, "You were the only one able to break the seal on Kagome after all this time. To do that you must have some strong holy power. And now that the jewel is in your hands, you must protect it with all your life."

Inuyasha looked skeptical. "From more demons?"

"Not only demons. There are other dark and evil things out there which seek the power of the Shikon no Tama."

"However," Kagome spoke up, hopefully holding a hand out, "If you hand it over to me, you can go home and have no worries."

"I already told you I wasn't handing it over." Inuyasha yawned from where he sat. "Do try to listen better."

"Bastard." Kagome hissed between her teeth, now standing furiously.

"Keh." Inuyasha turned his head slightly, giving her a lazy look before he smirked evilly. "Stay."

Kagome cursed loudly as he legs gave out and she landed on her knees, arms held out in front of her. Turning his attention to the fire, Inuyasha yawned again, feeling the heat of her glare on his back. Oh yes, he was _so_ starting to enjoy that word!

-----

It was early in the morning by the time they'd stopped talking, and the elder had convinced Inuyasha to stay the night before setting out in hopes to find a way home. Kagome had grudgingly disappeared shortly after the subduing spell had worn off, leaving the two men alone.

She sat on top of the hut, lying down and looking up at the starry sky, hands behind her head and her head propped op. Outside, she seemed to be lost in thought. Inside, she was boiling over with anger.

__

How dare he…treat me like a common house cat! Her eye twitched in irritation, and she rolled over onto her side and glared hard into the darkness. _Stupid human boy! Does he not know what he's dealing with? I thought after that demonstration in the forest he'd at least have a clue about the power I hold!_ Her hand clenched at her side, _but no…he still refuses to give me the jewel!_

From inside she heard the murmuring of voices, and her ear twitched to pick up the sound.

"…whatever, old man." Came the boy's irritated voice, "I'm out of here in the morning!"

"I understand," Came the old man's voice, "But Inuyasha, please be careful. You shall be hunted.."

"By everything and everyone evil, yadda yadda.." Inuyasha replied with a bored sigh.

"Yes, so you must rest fully and regain your strength."

From where she lay, Kagome sat up with a snort. "Like he'd be able to defend himself anyway," She muttered to herself, "Even without the cuts and bruises he'd be an easy target for any demon."

A rustle in a nearby tree caught her attention, and she narrowed her eyes as she set her gaze in that direction, her calculating eyes searching the branches while her ears turned to try to catch any more odd noises. _What was that? _She suddenly had the feeling she was being watched.

Besides the voices below her, she could hear nothing else, nor see anything suspicious.

__

My senses aren't that bad after all these years…I know I heard something! She moved forward, crawling across the roof on hands and knees with a feline grace, careful not to make a sound as she approached the tree. As she neared, a branch suddenly moved. _There! I wasn't hearing things!_

"Come out, whatever you are." She growled, sitting back and preparing to attack if necessary.

There was a sudden flash of black, and a glow of red eyes as something flew past her, taking flight into the night. Kagome twisted her head to get a good look at it. There was no use attacking – it was way out of attacking range now, too fast for her.

__

It's a Crow Demon, she realized, staring up at the dark sky as it disappeared. _Probably sensed the power of the Shikon no Tama!_ She looked back at where she had been sitting only moments before, listening to the conversation between the two men in the hut, and she suddenly looked uneasy. _That Crow Demon was one of the first – there will be many more to come._

With a small growl of frustration, Kagome leapt down from where she sat, deciding to look around the area for more demons. Until she had the jewel in her hands, she would do her best to protect it from others.

She frowned. _Even if that means I have to protect the obnoxious brat as well!_

To be Continued…


	8. Morning Bath

Reversed Roles

Chapter Eight – Morning Bath

By Crow Skywalker

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Disclaimer – I don't own Inuyasha, nor do I claim to. He belongs to the original creators, and I'm not getting paid anything from writing this fanfic.

Author's Notes – Well, its been a long time since I updated this fic. I'm sorry for the lack of updates, but it seems I've grown tired of Inu/Kag and I'm not really interested in continuing this fic anymore. I'll attempt to anyway, though expect updates to be short and far apart. Anyway, yeah…the long awaited next chapter of Reversed Roles! R/R and enjoy Sorry for any errors, I didn't have time to read it over.

Other Notes – This fic will be Kagome/Inuyasha, though it will hint to past Kagome/Sesshomaru romance. Other than that, this fic is rated PG-13 because of language, blood, and violence. I probably should up the rating, but we'll see how things go.

Summary – Roles are switched, and Inuyasha releases the hanyou Kagome, who's been sealed to a tree for 50 years. When the Shikon no Tama is broken, they're forced to work together to find the shards before evil does.

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It was a beautiful morning out, the sun having just begun to rise and the animals with it. In the morning warmth birds awoke from their sleep, chirping happily as they greeted the new day and welcomed the sunlight. Below them, wild animals began to awake and emerge from the burrows, wandering off in their daily routine. In the rivers and ponds fish swam soundlessly, jumping out of the water only to nip at a passing insect. One by one birds awoke, their singing growing louder as they flittered from tree to tree. It was the start of a brand new beautiful day in the Sengoku Jidai –

"Will you shut the fuck up?!" A loud yell sounded through the forest, causing birds to take to the air in fright.

Inside the small hut in the village, Inuyasha pulled his blanket over his head, grumbling something about stupid birds being too loud. The blanket, however, did not keep out the wilderness noise outside, a noise he was not used to growing up in the city, and he tossed and turned on the mat that he had been given the night before. Finally he settled for lying on his stomach and staring out from under the covers, glaring at his surroundings.

The old man, who really didn't have a name besides 'Gramps' and had an obsession with charms and other talismans, was sitting up now, having been disturbed from his sleep. "Was that really necessary?"

"Yes," Inuyasha snapped irritably, rolling over and covering his face with his arms. There was a rustling noise as the old man got up, and Ash looked over at him with his eyes narrowed. "Now what're you doing?"

The Elder gave him an odd look saying, "We always get up with the sun."

Inuyasha groaned as the Elder went about his daily routine, which basically consisted of decorating the walls with different charms. Was he never going to get any sleep in this place? Inuyasha slowly got to his knees, kicking at the blankets angrily.

"Now would be a good time to bathe," The Elder told him, "If you wish to do so, that is."

Looking down at his injuries and feeling the dirt and grit in his hair, Inuyasha nodded. The sooner he washed and got clean, the better. Plus he could probably wash his torn and bloodied clothes while he was there as well. Before he could even stand the old man had shoved something into his hands, and Inuyasha stared down at the clothes he had been handed.

"These were my brother's. I figured you might want to change out of those clothes of yours," said the Elder. "They should fit, you seem to have the same build as him."

Inuyasha muttered his thanks, leaving the hut and wincing as the morning light hit him. When his eyes finally adjusted he started to head off in the direction of – wait a minute, he didn't even know where he was going! Turning back to the hut, he found the Elder pointing down the road.

"Follow the road till you hit a path, it will lead you to a small waterfall and river. You can bathe there."

Raising a hand and saluting the old man, Inuyasha followed his instructions.

-----

Kagome's ears flickered as she swatted at a fly, lying down on the roof of the Elder's hut. She'd been up most of the night, watching over the hut in case of trouble, though nothing happened besides the appearance of the Crow Demon. Still, she had stood her on guard, just in case. Now she was lying on the roof, basking in the morning glow as she yawned contentedly. The sound of voices could be heard within the hut, but she paid little attention to it. When the strange human made to leave, however, she quickly jumped down from where she perched and followed him at a safe distance.

It turned out he was heading towards the water hole, where most of the villagers seemed to get their water and where they went to bathe. She followed him a bit more closely as he started off down the path, keeping a watchful eye on the forest that surrounded them as she jumped from tree to tree, her feline grace allowing her to jump and perch swiftly and quietly, her long nails digging into the bark so that she had no worries of falling.

They finally made it to a small clearing, the river just a few feet away from where the strange human sat down on a rock, fiddling with his clothes. Kagome paid little attention to this, immediately taking off to scope out the surroundings. She wasn't going to take any chances – no one was getting that jewel from the strange boy, not when it was so rightfully hers!

Sniffing the air, Kagome finally decided that it was safe enough, that no demons were suddenly going to jump out and try to kill the human and take her jewel, so she returned to the water hole, this time by foot. Though the boy was nowhere to be seen, his clothes were left carelessly on the rock that he had been sitting on earlier.

Kagome's ear suddenly twitched as she realized something. Perhaps the human was carrying the jewel in the pocket of his clothes? Her eyes turned to slits and she gazed at the weird looking garments sitting on the rock. Would he be as stupid to leave it there unprotected?

Prowling the area, Kagome kept low so that she wouldn't be seen as she made her way towards the clothes. The boy was nowhere to be seen, and the rocks surrounding the water hole ensured her that he would not catch her peeking around. With a smirk on her face, she carefully reached into what she assumed were the pockets, her hand moving silently as she searched.

The first pocket turned up nothing, and with a small frustrated growl she went for the other pocket, finding a small round object within. With a grin upon her face she brought forth the jewel, which glinted a purplish pink in the sunlight. Her breath hitched and a surge of triumph ran through her. With one leap she was on top of the rock, ready to laugh at the strange human as she made her getaway.

Opening her mouth to speak, it soon snapped closed as she took in the sight before her. The strange human she'd met the night before was swimming in the waterhole…with not a thing on. A blush made its way across her face as she stared, unable to move her mouth or any other part of her body, her face feeling like it had been set on fire.

"Oi!"

Kagome suddenly realized she'd been caught staring.

"See anything you like?" He gave her a cocky smirk. This infuriated Kagome and she finally snapped out of her daze, raising the jewel to show him.

"I'll be taking this now!" She called, and turned to jump into the nearest tree. She managed to take one step on the rock before the boy suddenly said the four letter word, which sent her falling backwards into the water. Being a cat demon, however, she managed to land on her feet – though not quite, since she was stuck in her new subdued position.

Inuyasha was beside her now, half covered as he grinned wickedly down at her. "Thought I'd let you get away with that, didn't you?"

Kagome scowled, hacking at the water she'd managed to get in her mouth. She hated the water! When the spell wore off, she was going to kill that boy!

He was putting on the clothes that the Elder had given him now, the usual garb of a priest. It was mainly white, but the pants were a dark blue. Kagome turned her head away, realizing where those clothes had come from and feeling a stab of pain in her heart at the memories those clothes brought her.

Her angry mood was not to last, however, when she felt a hand on her head, which moved to scratch her behind the ear. Her eyes closed automatically, a purring noise coming from deep within her chest. That was, until she realized who was touching her and immediately pulled away, glaring up at him. He ignored her, picking up the jewel that had fallen into the shallow water.

"Give it to me!" She hissed angrily, her eyes following the jewel.

He patted her head again to her displeasure. "We already went through this."

"Please," she lowered herself to begging, "It's only going to bring you more trouble than its worth."

Inuyasha threw the jewel up into the air and caught it, putting it in his pocket. "No."

"I'll follow you until I get it!" She threatened.

"I don't care," he replied over his shoulder, growing tired of this conversation. He started back in the direction that he had come, leaving behind the cat hanyou who was only just being allowed to move once again. She got out of the water, frowning in disgust at her wet clothes.

No matter, it'll dry soon enough! She took off after him, keeping to the trees above.

After a few minutes of having her jumping from branch to branch above Inuyasha grew annoyed. "Stay!"

There was a thump behind him as the cat landed on the ground.

"That hurt you bastard!" She whined.

"Well stop following me!"

"But you said you didn't care if I followed you!" She shot back.

Inuyasha gritted his teeth. "Yeah, but I meant if you followed quietly! You're making enough noise to wake the dead up there!"

Kagome snorted indignantly. She was a cat demon, she didn't make noise! She was taught to hunt silently, and she knew better than to make a big commotion. She'd learned that mistake when she was small and on her own, and now this boy was trying to tell her she was noisy?

A flock of birds suddenly took to the sky, and Inuyasha watched them pass overhead, his usual scowl upon his face. "See that? You even drove the damn birds away!"

Kagome furrowed her brows, watching the birds fly. She knew she hadn't done that because the birds had been too far off. Unless they had sensed danger nearby – Kagome suddenly sniffed the air, her fingers curling in the dirt. There was an odd smell in the air – it reeked of death.

"It wasn't me," Kagome answered Inuyasha calmly, her eyes looking past him in the direction the birds had flown from, "Something's coming."

Inuyasha turned to look in the direction she was looking.

"Something bad."

To Be Continued…


End file.
